The Denver Broncos signed seventh-round draft pick and third-string quarterback Zac Dysert to a four-year contract Monday that included a $48,200 signing bonus.

Now Dysert goes to work on making the 53-man roster.

“I was talking to my agent (Mike McCartney, son of Hall of Fame college coach Bill McCartney) before the draft and this was our No. 1 pick,” said Dysert, who played four years at the Miami (Ohio) University.

Peyton Manning takes in a chunk of change from the Broncos. But he’s not the team’s highest-paid player. (John Leyba, The Denver Post)

The Denver Broncos’ highest-paid players in 2012 were Peyton Manning and Elvis Dumervil. They were also the No. 1 and No. 3 highest salaries in the NFL in 2012. But that’s not entirely shocking if you’re keeping track. (Manning will cash in even more down the road, and Dumervil took home even more than that, really**).

Some of the other numbers, though, are certainly interesting. And they could be big clues about who gets a raise this offseason and who gets jettisoned.

The Broncos defense was among the highest-paid units in the NFL this season at somewhere near $66-71 million — that’s about 58 percent of the NFL salary cap (which was $120.6 million in 2012). The Denver offense accounted for only $55.2 million — that ranks 14th in the NFL.

The Broncos’ full salary and contract numbers from 2012 are after the jump.

Atlanta — Even if the Broncos’ know rookie Brock Osweiler won’t play so long as Peyton Manning is healthy, coach John Fox continues to develop the young quarterback by having him dress as the No. 2 quarterback.

Caleb Hanie, a veteran who was re-signed this week, will be inactive for the game here tonight against the Atlanta Falcons. Even if Osweiler doesn’t play, the chance of playing keeps him prepared, keeps him studying the game plan, gives him reps during the week.

The Broncos will also play without nickelback Chris Harris tonight. Harris suffered a severely sprained right ankle in the opener last week against Pittsburgh. He will be replaced by Tony Carter.

It was also determined that rookie Ronnie Hillman still needs a little more time before he’s ready to contribute. Hillman is physically recovered from the hamstring strain that caused him to miss the first two preseason games but he still needs to pick up other aspects of the tailback position, most notably pass protection.

Broncos quarterback Caleb Hanie throws against the Arizona Cardinals during the first quarter their final preseason game at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona on Thursday, Aug. 30, 2013.

As expected, the Broncos are in the process of re-signing backup quarterback Caleb Hanie.

He was released Saturday so the Broncos didn’t have to guarantee his $1 million salary or pay him a $250,000 roster bonus. The move gives the Broncos flexibility if they have to make other roster moves as the season goes along.

Once Hanie is officially signed, the Broncos will have to make a corresponding roster move.

NFL reporter Mike Klis suggests five goals for the Broncos in their final preseason game Thursday night against the Arizona Cardinals in Glendale, Ariz…

1. Stay awake

The stage is set for the Bore War: Political speeches vs. preseason scrubs. Because Mitt Romney gets to tell the nation why he is Barack Obama’s chief nemesis for president, the game in suburban Phoenix won’t kick off until 9:06 p.m. MDT. Peyton Manning will be among the many starters on both teams who won’t play.

2. Play like there’s no tomorrow

The Broncos will move 22 players off their roster Friday. There will be a few Denver reserves who will never play again after Thursday. There are two to four spots for the 53-man roster up for competition. Might as well bring it.

Broncos tight end JoelDreessen celebrates after catching a TD pass from QB Caleb Hanie against San Francisco.

Former Colorado State Rams currently outnumber former Colorado Buffaloes 2-1 in the Broncos’ locker room, and surely the trash talk has started with the annual Rocky Mountain Showdown coming this weekend between the state’s biggest college programs.

Former Ram Joel Dreessen was asked about the CU-CSU game on a conference call with season ticket holders today. The caller, clearly a fellow Ram, phrased the question this way:

Everybody but No. 2 RB Lance Ball can exhale. Ball suffered an injury to his ribs or chest.

2. Keep Peyton Manning healthy

In the wisest move of the preseason, Broncos coach John Fox took his star quarterback out after Manning built 17-0 lead through three series. Manning was 10-of-12 for 122 yards, two TDs, 0 interceptions, and 148.6 passer rating in one quarter.

Really no surprise after Manning. The rookie Brock Osweiler can’t be placed ahead of the veteran Caleb Hanie on the first depth chart. Hanie signed a two-year, $2.25 million contract in March but no money is guaranteed until he makes the roster.

The Broncos’ decision makers need to see these quarterbacks perform in the preseason.

“As coach Fox said, the games are our resume,” said Adam Weber, who is listed No. 4 on the depth chart.

Weber could return to the practice squad for a second year. Osweiler, a second-round rookie, will be no worse than the No. 3 quarterback. The question is whether Hanie’s experience fends the kid off at No. 2.

The rookie from Arizona State, who left after his true junior season, Osweiler had been the No. 4 QB through the offseason practices and Day 1 of training camp. But he took third-team snaps ahead of Adam Weber on Friday and second-team snaps ahead of Caleb Hanie on Saturday.

“I got quite a few today so I was pretty happy with that,” Osweiler said. “”I made one error; threw an interception. In route. Didn’t see the safety coming down. It’s a tough throw into that coverage. I have to know to check down. One thing I think I do pretty well is when I do make a mistake on the field, learn from it and not make the same mistake twice.’’

Right guard:
Chris Kuper moved pretty well considering the ankle/fibula injury he is trying to recover from. But in team drills, Kuper rested while veteran Manny Ramirez lined up with the No. 1 offense.

Remember that $40 million in salary cap space the Broncos had entering the 2012 offseason? They figured out how to spend it. In the past 10 days, Broncos owner Pat Bowlen has invested nearly $140 million in nine players.

A look at how the Broncos have spent during this free agency period, with their total contract and how much they count against the cap in 2012:

Mike Klis has been with The Denver Post since 1998, after working 13 years with the Colorado Springs Gazette Telegraph. Major League Baseball was Klis' initial passion. He started covering the Colorado Rockies after Coors Field was approved for construction in August 1990.

Nicki Jhabvala is the Sports Digital News Editor for The Denver Post. Before arriving in Denver, she spent five years at Sports Illustrated working primarily as its online NBA editor, and she was most recently the overnight home page editor at the New York Times. She has reported regularly on the Broncos since joining the staff.

A published author and award-winning journalist, Benjamin Hochman is a sports columnist for The Denver Post. He previously worked on the staff of the New Orleans Times-Picayune, winners of two Pulitzer Prizes for their Hurricane Katrina coverage.